Once Upon a Time
by bluemoonwiz
Summary: Slight-twist on a classic fairy tale. A handsome prince visits a Duke's home in order to select his future bride. Ruby, envying her sister's beauty, sets up a trap to never hear of Red again. (One-shot)


**Once Upon a Time…  
**

…there lived a duke, a duchess, and their two beautiful daughters: Ruby and Red. They were both beautiful but Red was clearly prettier. Her skin was white as snow, her eyes were bottle brown, and her hair was a curtain of wavy raven-black.

The eldest (Ruby) wanted to marry the handsome prince Zaffre that was going to visit their castle. The winner of his hart would become the queen of Danagia. It was Ruby's dream to become the queen. However, she sensed that her younger sister was serious competition. She became jealous of Red's beauty. As she studied herself in the mirror, an evil plan blossomed inside her head

~

That evening Ruby went to Red's bedchamber and said: "I heard that grandmother is sick, Red. You should visit her and bring her some herbs so she will feel better."  
"Thank you, Ruby." Said Red.

She packed a basket with food and medical herbs. The next morning, when the first rays of sun peeked over the horizon, Red awoke, got dressed, and ran to the kitchens to grab a bite. On her way out of the castle, she slipped on a heavy, dark-red cloak (it was her favorite because her grandmother made it). She left without telling anybody because her parents wouldn't let her go anywhere on the day of the royal visit.

She turned towards the castle. "Goodbye dear home. But do not worry, I will be back soon." She whispered.

~

In a high tower, Ruby watched her little sister leave the castle.  
"You called for me?" a rough male voice asked from the doorway.

"Yes, Haunild, I did. As you very well know, prince Zaffre is coming to visit us soon and I plan to marry him." She said turning to face him. "I told my precious little sister that our grandmother is ill and needs help."

"Your grandmother lives on the other side of the Dark Forest."

"Yes. Knowing my sister, she will try to take the shorter route to grandmother's house and will go right through the Dark Forest. Anyone in this kingdom knows the dangers of going into the Dark Forest. Many accidents happened in there, particularly because of wild wolves…"  
A flash of something evil sparked in his wolf-like eyes.

"Are you saying…"

"I'm saying," she interrupted "that I want you to kill her." She turned towards the window where a small read blur could be seen entering the wilderness that was called the Dark Forest.

~

Red wasn't sure how long she had been walking, but she was sure that she was tiered and that she had a long way to go. She sighed and collapsed next to a big tree. Taking out a piece of bread to nibble, she wondered about what was happening at home. She was curious to meet the prince, but Grandmother being sick was a primary issue. Getting up and brushing crumbs of her dress and cloak she slowly continued walking along the deer path that lead to her grandmother's house regretting that she hadn't taken a horse.

~

At the castle, there was a grand dinner in honor of the king and queen of Danagia, and of course Prince Zaffre.  
"Ruby, where is your sister?" The duchess asked.  
"She said she's ill and won't come to dinner today." She said daintily smiling at the prince.  
I will have no choice of which girl to marry if the other girl won't appear. Thought the prince

~

Is it afternoon? Red wondered. Because of the rich overgrowth, there was no way of telling.  
She tensed. Someone was watching her.  
A wolfs howl rang through the air like a knife through the peaceful quiet.  
No. Definitely much later than that.  
She ran with a new found strength.

~

A voice spoke inside the prince's head:  
_A beautiful lady, she is in danger  
Awaits for a noble prince to save her.  
In the dark forest she awaits,  
But the danger is growing, make heist._  
Without thinking twice, he asked to be excused and ran to his chamber, grabbed his sword, ran to the stables, hopped on a horse and galloped into the forest.

~

She could hear many wolves chasing her and could feel her legs getting week.

She tripped over a log and blacked out.

~

When she came-to, she immediately recognized the cozy house.

A plump, jolly old woman walked into the room with a tray of steaming tea and biscuits. A handsome young man followed her.

"Grandmother? What happened? Aren't you ill?"

"No, no." she chuckled. "That bratty sister of yours lied to you. She sent a pack of werewolves after you and if it weren't for Prince Zaffre, you would be long gone too."

"Well , if not for that mysterious message in my head, I would probably be at the castle right now getting engaged to Ruby." The prince said. Both laughed lightly.

"Thank you for saving my life, Your Highness."

"Oh please, no formalities. Just call me Zaffer."

"Well I will let you two catch-up. Oh, and please drink some of this tea, Red." And with that, she left the two on their own.

~

Upon returning home they got engaged.

Haunild and Ruby got punished and prohibited to enter the kingdom ever again. They became king and queen of the Werewolves.

And so the all lived happily ever after... or did they?

_Authors note:  
Sooooo... did you like it? Huh? Huh? Huh? Do you think I should continue it? If yes, what would you like to happen next?_

#I don't own Little Red Riding-hood. This variation of the story is mine though.#


End file.
